Sunday, April 19, 2009

How not to be sinister wise with the bean sprouts?

We can’t get over how much Estee has to pay for taogay (bean sprouts) in Sweden. It is easily and cheaply available everywhere in Sydney. We only have to pay 70cents for this package of 450g from our local Asian green grocer store as we wanted to take a photo for this blog. But on focusing to take a photo of this package of taogay, I was taken aback by the advertisement printed in Chinese. “Fresh Bean Sprout No Bleach”. How could I not to be sinister wise with store bought taugay again? This will bring me back to my Papua New Guinean days, where I used to work as a forester and very much rely on my own fresh produce such as sprouting my own bean sprouts. I am always thankful for that period of my life in which I've learned to live simply. I am always grateful to the people especially to the villagers, who taught me how to be self sufficient and to live sustainably with the environments.

There are several ways to grow your bean sprouts. During my stay in Papua New Guinea, I used a wooden crate and lined it with copra sacks(hessian), although these may be hard to find these days.This time, I have made changes for it to be grown on the kitchen bench and use a clay flowerpot instead. First, measure 1 or 2 cups of mung beans depending on the size of the flowerpot and wash the seeds with lukewarm water. Prepare them by soaking the seeds overnight in tepid water. Also soak a clean flowerpot overnight and placed a muslin or cheese cloth to cover the hole at the bottom.After soaking, place the seeds into the flowerpot and rinse the seeds three or more times daily by pouring warm water (not hot or cold). Let the flowerpot drains away excess water in the sink. The seed should be kept moist, but not wet. Place the flowerpot in a dark and humid place. I placed them in a black plastic bag with the end opened for ventilation. After 3 to 5 days sprouts will appear. Once it grows to about 45mm, rinse and drains them. Refrigerate in a cover container but don’t leave them too long as it may affect the flavor.Best before the first two leaves appear.

Hej Estee,Yes, use one of those porous brown clay pot with a hole at the bottom. An 8 inches pot is more than enough. Maybe temperature is a concern in Sweden. It must be warm enough for bean to sprout. Just give it a go and let us know the result.Cheers